Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 217,708 Shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. $CF

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking cut its CF stake by 63.2%, selling 217,708 shares in Q4 and now holds 126,739 shares (about 0.08% of the company) valued at roughly $9.8 million.
• CF posted an earnings beat (Q EPS $2.59 vs. $2.53) with revenue up 22.8%, and while several firms have raised price targets recently, the consensus rating remains a Hold with an average target of $118.53.
• CF declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 (paid May 29, annualized $2.00, ~1.6% yield), while insiders sold about 82,408 shares (~$9.97 million) last quarter; insiders now own 0.51% of the stock.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lessened its holdings in shares of CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF - Free Report) by 63.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,739 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 217,708 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned about 0.08% of CF Industries worth $9,802,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CF. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in CF Industries by 396.2% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 387 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in CF Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Peterson Wealth Services raised its stake in CF Industries by 451.3% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 441 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in CF Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Stance Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CF Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors own 93.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce raised their target price on shares of CF Industries from $118.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $115.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $100.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of CF Industries from $97.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CF Industries currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $118.53.

CF Industries Stock Performance

NYSE CF opened at $122.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $18.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.66 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 3.37. The business's 50 day moving average price is $119.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.52. CF Industries Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.42 and a fifty-two week high of $141.96.

CF Industries (NYSE:CF - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The basic materials company reported $2.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.78 billion. CF Industries had a return on equity of 19.84% and a net margin of 20.54%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that CF Industries Holdings, Inc. will post 12.41 earnings per share for the current year.

CF Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. CF Industries's dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CF Industries news, VP Richard A. Hoker sold 6,184 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.33, for a total value of $676,096.72. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 34,535 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,775,711.55. This represents a 15.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Michael Patrick Mcgrane sold 3,666 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.50, for a total value of $427,089.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,161 shares in the company, valued at $2,232,256.50. This trade represents a 16.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 82,408 shares of company stock worth $9,971,298. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

About CF Industries

CF Industries Holdings, Inc is a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products for agricultural and industrial customers. The company specializes in the production of ammonia, granular urea, urea ammonium nitrate (UAN), nitric acid and ammonium nitrate, which serve as key inputs for fertilizer blends, industrial chemicals and other downstream applications.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, CF Industries operates production facilities and distribution terminals across North America and the United Kingdom.

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